WORCESTER — Andover seniors Emma Farnham and Gabby Vaccaro were in the middle of a frantic, emotional mob of hugs at midfield of WPI’s Alumni Field.

They had both just exhausted themselves to help Andover beat Longmeadow, 2-0, in the Division 1 state championship game. And they both stood proudly with the rest of their Golden Warrior teammates as champions, capping off a brilliant 22-0-1 year.

How did this happen? How could this happen?

Did they ever think that this would happen?

A year ago, both Vaccaro (torn ACL) and Farnham (broken finger) missed significant time — in Vaccaro’s case the whole season — for an Andover team which was unexpectedly bounced in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

A season with such high hopes (Andover was 17-1-1 at the time) was abruptly dashed with two key cogs forced to watch from the sidelines.

But both returned healthy and hungrier than ever this fall, and Saturday afternoon at WPI they got a chance to hoist the Division 1 championship trophy high with the rest of their teammates.

“This is the best feeling in the world for me,” said Farnham, a UMass Amherst lacrosse recruit who is the daughter of Central Catholic Hall of Famer Glenn Farnham and cousin/niece to a slew of Andover legends. “It was so hard being on the sideline and watching my teammates go through that loss and there was nothing I could do about it.

“But to come back and to just win it with Gabby, who I know had a worse injury than I did, is just awesome. I’m just so happy for this team and so proud to be part of this program.”

Added Vaccaro: “I thought that this was going to be our year from the beginning, and for that to be so real now is amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

“I knew I was going to come back this year and bring everything I’ve got.”

Medwar, Carzo score

Vaccaro and Farnham didn’t factor into the boxscore Saturday afternoon, but both played instrumental parts in the victory — as did everyone else for Andover.

A scoreless game at half, it was the work of Katherine Furry who drew the eventual corner that got Andover on the board.

The goal came from freshman sensation Hanna Medwar, who took a rebound off of a Kate Gregory shot and went top shelf to put the Golden Warriors ahead for good.

“It definitely felt really amazing seeing that goal go in,” said Vaccaro. “I felt like we had a good chance, but we had to keep the focus and intensity going.”

Longmeadow’s first loss

The tally came just five minutes into the second half. Longmeadow (now 19-1-2), which won the West sectional for the seventh straight year, had plenty of time to cage the equalizer.

But Andover kept the offensive pressure going, out-cornering Longmeadow 7-1 all game. The Warriors would get some cushion midway through half when Julia Carzo fired a shot wide, but it was accidentally deflected in by a Longmeadow defender.

From there, Andover’s defense cruised.

After winning its third state title in the last eight years (2010, 2011), Andover will be graduating a talented senior class.

But the Warriors began the year with a laser focus they maintained all year, and now they can say it was unparalleled to anyone else in Division 1.

“We wanted this so bad, and we work so well together. We’re such a family,” said Farnham. “We just wanted it more than ever. All our hard work paid off.”

Andover 2, Longmeadow 0

Division 1 State Final

Goals: Hanna Medwar, Julia Carzo

Assists: Kate Gregory

Saves: A — Julia Gordon 0; L — Gabrielle Acquista 6

Longmeadow (19-0-3): 0 0 — 0

Andover (22-0-1): 0 2 — 2

Defense dominates unbeaten Longmeadow

“I think the kids have been playing well defensively all year,” said Andover coach Maureen Noone. “They’re playing against the best forwards in practice. So I think they’re ready for anything, they just don’t get noticed in the games.”

They were noticed yesterday.

A group effort led by Anna Vrountas, Carissa Agostino, Anna Zdunczyk, Jordan Torres and Kate Gregory kept Longmeadow without a shot on goalie Julia Gordon. The Lancers had a couple of scoring opportunities, but their shots went wide.

It was Andover’s 15th shutout of the season. And against a team which had scored 12 goals in its three tourney wins prior to yesterday.

You want incredible? Andover’s defense allowed a grand total of one — yes, one — total shot on goal combined in the state semifinal and state final.

The lone blemish for Andover (22-0-1) was a 2-2 tie against Central Catholic on Oct. 2.

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MEDWAR A REVELATION FOR ANDOVER
WORCESTER — With a laundry list of difference-makers Andover was returning, freshman Hanna Medwar was an afterthought.

No one, maybe not even Medwar herself, could have imagined she would perhaps be the Golden Warriors’ most influential player this season.

Freshman Anna Bargman scored in the first half and fellow Boxford resident Alexa Matses (10 saves) made it stand up as Phillips field hockey shaded St. Paul's, 1-0, in the New England Prep Class A semifinals.

The Phillips Academy field hockey rolled to a 5-1 victory in the Class A New England Prep quarterfinals behind two goals each from Ashley Tucker and Kelly McCarthy. Katie Wimmer of Windhams made three saves in goal for the Big Blue (16-1) who will host St. Paul's at 2 .m. Saturday.

NORTH ANDOVER — The Division 1 North final was getting nerve-wracking for the Andover field hockey team.

The No. 1-seed Golden Warriors had been outplaying Winchester for much of the game, with more shots on goal, penalty corners and time of possession, but here they were knotted in a scoreless tie heading into overtime against unbeaten Winchester (19-0-1).

It was reminiscent of 2014 and 2015, when Andover was more than the equal of Acton-Boxboro, only to fall in overtime, each time at North Andover High.

“I was nervous ... I love playing here, but we have that (tournament) history,” said Andover coach Maureen Noone.

Agreed senior Katherine Furry: “It was nerve-wracking. We said we didn’t want it to go into overtime and that’s what happened. But we practice 7-on-7 (the overtime format) a lot in practice, so we were confident about it.”

Furry reflected that confidence in overtime.

First, Furry had a nice up-the-field rush that was turned away. Then, moments after Winchester had a chance in front of Warrior goalie Julia Gordon, she received a pass from Jordan Torres and got the ball between two defenders to standout 5-foot-2 freshman Hanna Medwar, who slid the ball in the net for the winning goal.

“I somehow got it to her (Medwar) and we have confidence in her,” said Furry. “She’s like our little secret. I don’t think teams expect much from her.

“This is definitely so amazing. I remember being in the stands as a freshman and thinking how amazing it would be to be here and win.”

Captain Emma Farnham, who combined with Medwar to help the Warriors control the play much of the game, had the same feeling.

“This is the best feeling in the world,” said Farnham. “It was tough my freshman and sophomore years.”

Andover now advances to the state semifinals Tuesday (time TBA) at Braintree against South champion King Philip, which defeated Somerset 1-0.

Game time is p.m. The winner will play in the state finals Saturday at WPI.

Crucial Torres move

“This was a huge accomplishment,” said Noone. “The calls weren’t going our way and one rush down the field can beat you, but the girls kept at it and it paid off.

In the first half, Andover outshot Winchester 3-1. The Golden Warriors had a 4-1 advantage in the second half and even controlled play when they were shorthanded, which happened when they took three penalties, two of which were questionable.

For overtime, the Warriors used their talented core of Medwar, Farnham, Torres, Gabby Vaccaro, Kate Gregory and Furry along with goalie Julia Gordon.

“We have some talented kids and a lot of versatility,” said Noone. “It’s one of the best groups I’ve had for sure.”

The North title is the first for Andover since 2011, which is the year Andover won its second straight state title.

Julia Worden could not be stopped, scoring three times to lift No. 4 Central Catholic field hockey to a convincing, 6-1, victory over No. 5 Belmont in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Caroline Pinho, Casey Thompson and Erin O'Neil were the Raiders' other goal-scorers.

Led by three goals and an assist by Katherine Furry, top-seeded Andover rolled over No. 8 Masconomet, 6-1, in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Fabulous freshman Hanna Medwar had two goals and an assist for the Warriors (18-0-1).

Sophomore Maddie DiPietro continued her breakout campaign for Central Catholic field hockey, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Concord-Carlisle in the first round of the Division 1 North tournament. Casey Thompson and Kaylee Thomas also scored for the No. 4 Raiders, who will host No. 5 Belmont on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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